A Life That's Good
by littlebignashville
Summary: This is a "companion" story to my story "I'll Surrender To You", but this one is going to have early!Deyna (pre-s1) one-shots. I am in no way affiliated with Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Nashville CMT, or Callie Khouri.
1. The First Meeting

**Hey all! I'm Morgan and I am the same user on Wattpad lol, but considering not everyone has Wattpad, I decided to bring this fanfic over to this website which I absolutely love and adore. This is a series of early!Deyna (pre-season 1) one-shots, and they will be published in order from their first meeting to maybe right before season 1? We'll see :) Can't believe this show ends this week, but I will keep writing about them! Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Okay everyone, our first performer tonight is a rising star discovered by none other than Mr. Watty White! Please welcome to the stage Ms. Rayna Jaymes!"

The Bluebird erupted with applause as a small redhead walked up on the stage, stepping behind the microphone and waving to the patrons.

Deacon picked his head up from the song he was writing and his heart instantly skipped a beat when he saw the girl standing on stage.

"Hi everyone! So this one's a new one, written by the amazing Watty White, and I hope you like it." She smiled and nodded toward the band behind her before starting the song.

The song Deacon was writing was forgotten when the first note came out of her mouth, because his eyes were glued to the stage.

Wow. He thought to himself. That is the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

She had such a light about her, and an incredible stage presence, Deacon couldn't take his eyes off of her even if he tried.

Rayna was looking around the small cafe as she sang, and when her eyes landed on Deacon's, a small smile came to her face.

A blush came to his face and he looked down at the table to hide it. When he glanced down, he saw the lyrics on the napkin he was writing on, and he grabbed it and crinkled it up. He grabbed a fresh one and immediately started scribbling down lyrics.

Two arms around me, heaven to ground me, and a family that always calls me home

He smiled wider as the lyrics started spilling out of him, and he couldn't wait to talk to the girl who has already changed his life.

 **XXX**

"Thank you guys so much! I love y'all!" Rayna said into the mic and bowed before stepping off the stage to greet a group of fans that had gathered on the side. Deacon smiled and stood up and grabbed the napkin, walking over to where Rayna was.

"I'm already such a fan of yours, Ms. Jaymes! You're going to be so huge." Rayna giggled at the fan's compliment, and Deacon's heart raced at how beautiful she was. "Can I get a picture with you?" The girl asked Rayna, and she nodded.

"Of course!" Rayna moved to stand next to the little girl, and Deacon smiled at how gracious she was.

The two of them took a couple pictures together before they hugged and the group went back to the their table. Deacon felt his heart speed up as he walked up to Rayna, and she smiled at him.

"Hi!" She smiled even wider. "You're the uh...you're the guy who was sitting right in the middle. The one who was staring at me..."

Deacon swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, I was. Sorry, you're just so pretty, it was hard not to."

Rayna blushed and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her sundress. "Oh, well, thank you. Were you-uh-taking notes on my performance or something?" She giggled and looked down at the napkin in his hand.

Deacon looked down and chuckled. "Oh, I-uh-I wrote a song. I'd love for you to hear it."

Rayna opened her mouth to say something but instead, someone came up next to her and placed their hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Rayna? I love you so much, can I get a picture with you? Please?"

Rayna nodded at the fan before she looked over at Deacon. "I'll just be a minute, I'm sorry."

Deacon shook his head and put his hands up, letting her spend time with her fans. If everything goes smoothly tonight, he'll hopefully be spending a lot more time with Rayna.

 **XXX**

"I'm so sorry, they just kept coming." Rayna said to Deacon when she was done talking to fans, and he shook his head. "I am interested in hearing this song, though. Wanna talk outside?" Deacon nodded and gestured for Rayna to go first, and he followed her out of the cafe.

"So you wrote an entire song during my two songs? Dare I ask what inspired it?" Rayna sat down on the bench that was right outside, and Deacon followed, setting his guitar case on top of his lap.

"Actually, uh, you did. I was working on another song and as soon as you started singing I scrapped it and wrote this one instead." He popped the latches on his case and opened it up, pulling his guitar out.

Rayna's eyes widened and she smiled, a blush on her face. "Well, I'm honored." Deacon chuckled as he set his case on the ground in front of the bench. "How about you play it for me? I'm sure it's amazing."

Deacon nodded and took a deep breath before playing the opening chords.

When he started singing, Rayna gasped and her breath caught in her throat as she listened to the song that was written about her by a man she just met. She didn't know what falling in love felt like, but she was pretty sure this was it.

All she could focus on was his eyes, and his magical voice, and the fact that this song was about her. No guy she had ever met would do something like this, and she loved it.

When the song ended, Deacon looked up at her and she sighed, smiling. "That was amazing. Thank you, um...you know, I never caught your name."

Deacon chuckled. "Oh, Deacon. Deacon Claybourne."

Rayna smiled and stood up, smoothing down her dress. "Right, well, thank you, Deacon Claybourne. Hopefully we'll see each other soon." She nodded before walking past him to go back into the cafe.

Yup, they were already in love with each other. Madly, deeply, hopelessly in love with each other. And they were fine with that.


	2. The First Time

**I don't really know if this is completely canon but this show didn't have the best consistency when it came to stating Deyna's past so just bear with me as I tried to remain as true to the story as I could!**

* * *

Rayna practically ran up to the steps to Deacon's house, squealing and shaking with excitement as she rapped on the door.

"Deacon! Deacon? Open the door, I have news!" She was pounding on the door as she heard Deacon yell.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Ten seconds later, the door opened and Deacon appeared on the other side. "Rayna, what the hell are you doin'? It's one in the morning."

"I have news." Rayna said between giggles, vibrating with excitement.

Deacon nodded slowly. "Yeah, you said that. What's up?"

"Watty booked me...us...a paying gig. Our first one." Rayna had a bright smile on her face, and Deacon's jaw dropped.

"What-what do you mean us? You-?"

Rayna nodded rapidly. "I want you to play with me. We've written a lot of songs together, it only makes sense. I can't really do this without you."

Deacon laughed, nodding quickly. "Yes, Ray. Of course I will play with you. This is fantastic news, congrats. I'm so proud of you." Deacon opened his arms and gathered the seventeen-year-old in them, hugging her tightly.

They stood there hugging on Deacon's front steps with huge smiles on their faces for what seemed like eternity. When they pulled away, Rayna's head was titled up to look at Deacon, and they were both staring at each other.

Before Rayna knew it, her lips were on Deacon's and they were both sighing into the kiss. Rayna felt Deacon's hands come down to rest above her butt, and she snaked her hands around his neck.

They kissed until they were out of breath and panting, and when they pulled away, Deacon looked down at her like the world revolved around her, and he honestly felt like it did.

He laughed lightly before pulling her closer to him. "I love you. I'm in love with you, Rayna Wyatt."

Rayna didn't even say anything, she just smiled before throwing herself to Deacon again and locking lips with him. She whined softly when he bit on her lip gently, and Deacon began walking back into the house before kicking the door closed, never breaking the kiss.

Before things got too carried away, Deacon pulled back and looked at Rayna with concern. "Are you sure about this, Ray? We're excited but we don't have to do this now. We can wait until you're ready."

Rayna just shook her head and kissed him again. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "I've never been so sure about anything in my life. I've wanted this since I met you." She kissed him again. "I want this. I want you."

Deacon smiled wide before taking Rayna in his arms and kissing her with so much passion the world seemed to stop moving. Her arms snaked up around Deacon's neck and his hands traveled down to grip her ass.

Rayna whined softly as Deacon's tongue entered her mouth, and they walked into the living room. Rayna smiled into the kiss as they fell onto the couch together, Deacon landing on top of her.

Deacon's hands immediately moved down to the front of her flannel shirt and he started undoing the buttons slowly. Rayna gasped when he got the shirt all the way undone, and Deacon moaned.

"Damn, Rayna. You're gorgeous. Wow." Rayna smiled and giggled as Deacon moved his lips down to her neck, assaulting it with kisses and soft bites.

Rayna threw her head back and gave Deacon more access as she relaxed into him, thankful she was in this moment and even more thankful she was with him.

She was in love with Deacon Claybourne, there was absolutely no question.

 **XXX**

Rayna had a huge smile on her face as she laid next to Deacon with her arm around Deacon's waist, tracing circles on his chest. When she looked up at him, he had a huge smile that matched hers. They made eye contact and Rayna giggled and blushed as she looked away.

Deacon leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead, and Rayna looked up at him. There was so much love in his eyes, she though she might burst into tears.

"How do you feel?" Deacon asked her, breaking the silence.

Rayna sighed and nodded her head. "Amazing. Wonderful. Fantastic." Deacon giggled and leaned down to kiss her. "You probably get the idea, though."

"I do, but if it helps, I feel the same way. It was amazing- _you're_ amazing." Deacon said, kissing her again as Rayna giggled brightly.

The room soon grew quiet again as the two of them laid tangled up in each other, trying to slow their racing hearts. Deacon's hand came down to the small of her back and rubbed small circles as Rayna snuggle further into him. She sighed as the two if them just laid there together.

They sat in silence for what felt like an hour before Rayna sat up and looked at Deacon. "I really should go home. Daddy was pretty upset when I told him last night, so I need to go try to work this out."

Deacon chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you should go home. As much as I want you here for myself."

Rayna laughed and rolled out of Deacon's arms and out of the bed, moving about the room to get her clothes to get dressed. She caught sight of Deacon staring at her as she eased her clothes on, and she just giggle nervously.

When she was dressed, she came over to the side of the bed Deacon was sitting on and leaned down, placing her hand on his cheek and leaning forward to kiss him lightly. "I'll see you later." She whispered when she pulled away, smiling. They kissed a few more times before Rayna turned on her heel and walked toward Deacon's bedroom door.

Before she walked out, she turned around to face Deacon with love in her eyes. She smiled before saying, "I love you too, Deacon Claybourne."

They smiled widely at each other before Rayna turned around and walked out with her stomach fluttering with butterflies, leaving Deacon to sit on his bed with a huge smile and a racing heart.


	3. The First House

**Again, I know this probably isn't 100% accurate, but I wanted it to mesh with the previous chapter, but I do know they lived together for a time for I made sure that was accurate!**

* * *

"Hey, darlin'." Deacon said into the phone, a smile on his face.

"Deacon?" Rayna's voice was broken, barely above a whisper on the other end.

"Ray? What's going on?"

He heard Rayna sighed shakily. "Daddy gave a half hour to get my stuff and get out. I have nowhere to go. And he's holding to it, too."

Deacon gasped. "What? Why?"

Rayna swallowed hard. "Because I told him about Watty booking that gig for me. He freaked out and started screaming and told me I could only stay here if I lived by his rules, so I packed my bags." Her voice broke. "And now I don't know what to do."

Deacon rubbed his hand over his face and looked around his tiny house before sighing. "Come live with me."

"What?" Rayna asked.

"Come live with me. My house is pretty quiet, but there's enough room for the two of us. Come live with me, baby."

Rayna sighed, and the line got quiet for a while before she finally spoke. "Okay, I'll come with you."

Deacon smiled slightly, trying not to sound too excited as he knew Rayna was pretty upset. "Alright, I'll be there in twenty minutes. I love you, Ray."

"I love you, too." Rayna said quietly before the two of them hung up.

Deacon stuffed his phone in his pocket and grabbed his keys, walking out of the house.

As he drove to Belle Meade, he couldn't help but smile. Sure, Rayna was young and the circumstances getting to this point sucked, but from the moment he laid eyes on her he always knew he wanted to live with her and build a life together, so it was never too early to start.

 **XXX**

The tiny, redheaded, seventeen-year-old girl was completely silent on the ride home. She spent the entire thirty minute care ride staring out the window with tears in her big, blue eyes. Deacon's heart broke because he couldn't do anything, but it mostly broke because she was the love of his life and he hated seeing her so broken.

He knew Lamar was a strict man, but never did he think he'd kick Rayna out because of her career. This whole situation seemed odd to him, but he didn't dare say anything to either of them. Lamar wasn't very fond of him, anyhow.

When they pulled up to Deacon's house, Rayna sighed sadly and opened the truck door, jumping out and waiting for Deacon to lead her in. She had been here before, on the night he showed her how much he loved her, but it felt different now. It felt like home.

Deacon came up next to her and grabbed the hand that wasn't clutching her bag, and Rayna swallowed hard before walking with Deacon up to the house.

When they got inside, Rayna set her bag on the floor next to the couch and threw herself down, breathing deeply. Deacon sat down next to her and she looked at him sadly before her face crumpled up and tears started falling. Deacon gasped and pulled her into his arms, and she buried her head in his chest.

"Ray, baby it's alright. You're here now, with me." Deacon kissed the top of her head. "I'm here for you now, baby."

"I don't know what to do. What do I do?" Rayna asked into Deacon's chest.

Deacon shook his head. "I don't know, but you'll figure it out. With me by your side. We'll figure it out together. I love you so much, baby."

Rayna picked her head up and looked at him. "I love you, too. Thank you." She smiled for the first time that night before leaning forward and kissing him feverously.

They kissed for a while before they pulled away and Rayna laid her head on Deacon's chest, snuggling into him as he held her tight on the couch in the home that was now theirs.


	4. The First Song

"Yeah, I like that chord right there a lot. It adds a lot of intensity to the song." Rayna said as Deacon wrote down the notes on the piece of paper.

"You know, Watty was against this. He thinks it's bad enough we're living together, he doesn't think we should be a professional partnership too."

Deacon looked up from the notepad and smirked. "Well, we'll just have to prove him wrong, won't we? This song is killer, Ray."

Rayna felt a blush form on her cheeks as she smiled and nodded. He'd been doing it for a while, but she never stopped smiling every time he called her "Ray".

"So whatcha think? Anything you want to add to it?"

Rayna shook her head. "Nope, I don't think so. I think it's perfect. What do you think?"

Deacon shook his head. "Nope. I think we should play through it once, what do you say?"

Rayna nodded as Deacon picked up his guitar, picking out a couple chords before Rayna picked up the notepad and held it between them, smiling up at him before he played the opening to the song.

 **XXX**

"Watty's definitely going to change his tune when he hears how killer that song is!" Rayna exclaimed, setting the pad on the table. "It's amazing, Deacon, you did an amazing job."

Deacon shook his head bashfully as he set his guitar on the floor next to the couch. "No, Ray, this was all you." He had a smile on his face as he looked at Rayna. "I just contributed the guitar playing part."

Rayna giggled and shrugged. "Maybe, but you also contributed the entire bridge. It wasn't all me..."

Deacon shook his head. "No, it was all you. And I, for one, am amazed at how amazing it is. Are you sure this was your first time writing?"

Rayna nodded. "Yup, but you did help me."

Deacon laughed. "Nope, I didn't. This was all you. And I'm going to make sure Watty knows that."

"Maybe, but Watty is practically my father, so who's he going to believe?" Rayna asked, nonchalantly moving closer to Deacon, if that was even possible.

"Probably me, since he'll most likely kill you when he hears we wrote it together."

Rayna shook her head. "See, that's where you're wrong. And I know how much you hate being wrong." She smiled before she felt Deacon's hot breath on her mouth, and she swallowed hard.

"Am I wrong, Ray? Really?"

Rayna shook her head slightly before Deacon leaned forward and took her lips in his own, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed right there on the couch.

Rayna moaned softly as Deacon pushed her down lightly, climbing on top of her as the two of them kissed, hands exploring each others bodies.

 **XXX**

"If every writing session ends like that, I think I can learn to enjoy this." Rayna said breathlessly, running her fingers up and down Deacon's chest.

Deacon chuckled before kissing her forehead. "You mean you didn't enjoy it before?" Rayna just giggled and tilted her head up to kiss him again.

They soon got lost in each other once again, smiles on their faces and bodies tangled up with each other. Yeah, they could get used to writing together.


	5. The First Tour

"Okay, Rayna, tonight all 1,800 of these seats will be filled. A lot of people love you." Her manager nudged Rayna with his elbow, and Rayna smiled weakly.

"1,800?" She asked, and her manager nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Are you nervous?"

Rayna shook her head rapidly, but Deacon could tell she didn't believe herself. He came up next to her and slipped his arm around her waist sneakily.

Everyone knew the two of them were a couple, but since many were against it, they kept the PDA to a minimum. Rayna saw her manager glance over at them before he looked away, and Deacon smiled down at the seventeen-year-old.

"You're going to be amazing, Ray. They're gonna love you, I know it." Rayna smiled as Deacon pulled her closer to him.

"Okay, y'all, I think we're good to go until showtime. See y'all tonight." The band and crew parted ways, but Deacon and Rayna stayed back, looking out at the thousands of seats in front of them.

It was silent for a while before Deacon turned to look at her. "Come on."

Rayna looked at him, confused. "What? Where are we going?"

Deacon chuckled and took her hand. "Just come on. Trust me."

They interlocked their fingers before Deacon pulled her off the stage and around the venue.

 **XXX**

"Deacon, why are we up here?" Rayna asked between giggles as Deacon pulled her up to the highest row of seats.

"Just sit down. Sit down and look at the stage." Deacon said, and they sat down side-by-side, looking down at the stage that seemed miles away. "Now when you're on stage tonight in front of almost 2,000 people, think about the people up here who only paid twenty dollars to see Rayna Jaymes.

"Sing to the people on the floor, interact with them, but don't forget the people who aren't as lucky. SIng out, not down." Deacon smiled, and Rayna grabbed his hand. "You got this."

Rayna giggled and gripped Deacon's hang tighter. "You're pretty good at this pep talk thing." She winked, and Deacon shrugged.

"I have my moments." Rayna laughed and Deacon rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. "If you get lost, nervous, or anything, just look over at me and I'll be there to help you through it. Just give me a look and I'm there."

Rayna just smiled and leaned her head on Deacon's shoulder as the two of them sat and stared down at the floor, taking their first headlining tour in.

 **XXX**

The band played the final notes to the opening song before Rayna blew out a final breath and walked up the steps on the side of the stage. When the crowd saw her on stage, they erupted into cheers and Rayna smiled brightly.

"Thank y'all so much, I'm so happy to be here tonight!" She said into the microphone.

When the band played the opened notes to "Me and You", she looked back at Deacon, who looked up from his guitar and smiled reassuringly at her. Her eyes lit up before she sang the opening words to the song, feeling so much more confident knowing Deacon was right behind her, every step of the way.


	6. The First Chord

"Okay, you put your first finger here, and your middle finger right...here. Good. Okay, now grab the pick and hold it between your first finger and your thumb...good. Now strum from top to bottom."

Rayna strummed the guitar, and the sound of the chord rang out. She looked up at Deacon with a huge smile on her face. "Like that?"

Deacon nodded and laughed. "Yeah, just like that." Rayna giggled. "You have officially learned how to play the G-chord on guitar." He leaned forward and kissed Rayna's cheek. "Soon you'll be better than me."

Rayna laughed loudly and shook her head. "Let's not get crazy, babe."

Deacon smiled and gestured down to the guitar. "So, are ya up for learning one more?"

Rayna nodded and Deacon grabbed her hand, guiding it over the neck of the guitar to teach her another chord.

 **XXX**

Deacon came into the house to the sound of what seemed to be strings snapping. He threw the mail down on the table by the door and ran over to the couch, trying to see what Rayna was doing.

"Ray? What the hell are you doing?"

Rayna looked up from the guitar and frowned at Deacon. "I was practicing the chords you taught me yesterday. I don't think I did them right, though."

Deacon chuckled and shook his head, sitting down next to Rayna. "No, you weren't. I love that you were practicing, though. That's the only way to get better."

Rayna groaned and slammed her hand on the guitar. "This is hopeless. I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm not going to get any better."

"Okay, taking your anger out on the guitar isn't going to help matters." Deacon sighed and placed his hand on top of Rayna's. "Take a break and try again. Go slow."

Rayna smiled up at him as he guided her hand over the neck, helping her once again.

 **XXX**

Rayna yawned and smiled as she walked into the living room to the sound of Deacon playing quiet melodies while he was sitting on the couch. She walked next to the couch and sat on the arm, wrapping her arm around Deacon's shoulder and leaning her head against his.

Deacon stopped playing and sighed, a smile on his face. "Well, good morning, darlin'." He turned to kiss her quickly and Rayna giggled.

"Good morning to you, too." She gestured down to the guitar on his lap. "I like that sound a lot better." She giggled.

Deacon shook his head. "I don't know, you'd be really good in time."

"Well, what if I don't want to be good? I do have you..." Rayna trailed off. "And besides, there's something about you playing the songs we wrote that really turns me on." She smirked, and Deacon whipped his head around to look at her.

"Oh yeah?" He asked, and Rayna giggled and nodded.

"Oh yeah." Rayna said before attaching her lips to Deacon's and letting him set the guitar down on the floor before falling on top of him on the couch.

 **XXX**


	7. The First Tragedy

**HI HI HI HI I can explain! I hadn't written this story in three weeks and then I went to drum major camp the 10-16 and then came home and had no internet but I had this chapter written as soon as I got home but I FINALLY got internet back today so yayay here I am I hope you enjoy even though this is hella sad :-) Also you should know, I time-jumped a little to when Deacon, Rayna, and Vince live together ok yay**

* * *

"Come on, man, you ain't even drunk! I can't drive and Carmen needs a ride home. Please, man."

Vince looked at Deacon and Rayna, then at Carmen, then back at Deacon and Rayna before shrugging and fishing the keys out of his jeans pocket.

"Let's go, darlin'." He looked at Carmen and gestured toward the car with his head, wrapping his arm around the brunette's shoulders as they walked to the car.

Deacon looked at Rayna and smiled slightly. "I could go for a walk, what about you?" Rayna giggled and nodded her head, grabbing Deacon's hand as they walked back to their condo together.

When Deacon heard the sirens in the distance, he didn't even think twice about it. He just gripped Rayna's hand tighter and kissed her cheek, walking with her to their home.

 **XXX**

The knock on the door pulled the two of them out of each others embrace, and Rayna groaned unhappily.

"Leave it," she whispered, "Vince will find his keys eventually."

Deacon chuckled. "As much as I'd love to do that, he sounds pretty urgent, and I don't want the neighbors to file a noise complaint." He leaned down to kissed her forehead and brush her tousled curls out of her face. "Stay right here, darlin'-we WILL continue."

Deacon winked before rolling out of bed and finding his discarded boxers on the other side of the room. He stepped into them and smiled in Rayna's direction before walking out of their bedroom to answer the door.

"Man, you're gonna cause a noise complaint, again! I'm comin', relax." Deacon huffed as he opened the door, and his eyes widened.

"Evening, officers. How can I help you?"

"Good evening, sir. Is this the home of Vince Jamison?"

Deacon nodded and swallowed hard. "It is. He's not home yet, if you need to speak with him."

"That's actually who we came to talk to you about. Mr. Claybourne, I'm afraid there's been an accident involving your friend. He and his passenger hit a tree. The female passenger is in critical condition, but Mr. Jamison did not survive. I'm sorry."

Deacon felt his chest tighten up and the world around him spun and became fuzzy. He heard Rayna faintly behind him, but he couldn't make out her words. The officer's words just kept replaying over and over in his mind.

"I am very sorry for your loss." The officer said, and the two of them nodded before turning on their heel and walking away from their apartment.

"Babe?" Rayna asked, walking hesitantly toward him. "Babe, what happened?"

"Vince...Vince is dead." Deacon's voice was barely above a whisper as Rayna gasped. "He hit a tree. He's dead."

Rayna came up next to Deacon and grabbed his hand. "Oh babe. I don't even-I'm so sorry..."

Deacon sighed and shook his head, pulling his hand out of her grasp forcefully. "I need to go for a walk." He said faintly, turning to go into the bedroom, leaving Rayna to stand in the living room in shock.

 **XXX**

The days and weeks following Vince's funeral passed by in a haze, and Deacon hardly ever left his bedroom. Without Rayna by his side, these days would've been a hell of a lot worse.

Rayna tried to get him to write with her, but he spent his long days and nights in bed with a bottle of whiskey. It was his fault this happened, so why should he go back to the way things were? His best friend wasn't here to experience all of his and Rayna's accomplishments, so why should he do anything?

He heard Rayna come into their bedroom, and he turned his head to look at her. She came onto the bed next to him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing the side of his head.

"Come on, babe, let's go for a walk or write something. you need to get out of this dark bedroom." Rayna whispered, and Deacon whipped his head around to look at her.

"I'm going to take a shower." Deacon grumbled, sliding out of Rayna's grasp and tumbling out of bed toward the bathroom, bottle of whiskey in hand.

While he waited for the water to heat up, he downed the rest of the whiskey that was in the bottle. He tossed the bottle on the floor and climbed into the shower, letting the heat nearly scald him.

Come on, man! You ain't even drunk!

I'm afraid there's been an accident.

Mr. Jamison did not survive.

"Damnit!" Deacon yelled into the water, his voice echoing throughout the bathroom. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!" His fist met the tile wall, but the pain that shot through his arm went unnoticed.

Vince was gone. His best friend was gone, it was his fault, and all Deacon wanted to do was drink that memory away.

 **XXX**


	8. His First Time

**WOAH SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN NINE AND A HALF YEARS I suck and started gaining other interests like Little Big Town again and started watching Grey's Anatomy again. I hope you like this though because I think it's p good for not watching Nashville in forever or remembering how this flashback went. As much as that flashback didn't make ANY SENSE and I don't like Luke Wheeler, I wanted to stay true to the whole "he's not good enough for you" he kept dropping in the show. Anyway yay sorry but I hope you like :-)**

* * *

"Still nothing?" Rayna asked her manager frantically.

Watty shook his head. "Nothin'. We looked in the bus, the dressing room, catering. His guitar is still here, but he's not." He sighed. "You tried calling him?"

Rayna nodded slowly. "Four times. It went to voicemail every time." She sighed and looked around the backstage of the venue. "We need to figure something out. Maybe George's guitar played will fill in?"

Watty nodded. "Let me go figure something out." He turned on his heel and walked away from Rayna, who sighed again and grabbed her phone to try to call Deacon again.

The phone rang half a dozen times before Rayna groaned in frustraion and closed the phone forcefully. She blew out a breath and leaned against the wall, trying not to cry.

This has happened too many times. Too many times Deacon has left Rayna high-and-dry backstage, scrambling five minutes before showtime for a filler guitar player. Too many times Rayna hs found Deacon wasted past the point of no return in some sleezy hotel bar, and too many times she has had to drag him out, sobbing uncontrollably as she struggled to figure out whether he was alive or dead.

"Hey, Rayna." A voice behind her pulled her out of her thoughts. "Still can't find him?"

Rayna turned around and came face-to-face with Luke Wheeler, the first opener on George Strait's tour. She shook her head sadly. "No, I've tried calling him four times. I don't know what to do."

Luke sighed. "Well, I'll tell you what. I've seen your set night after night, so I know it cold. How about I stand in for Deacon and I'll help you look for him after?"

Rayna smiled softly and nodded. "Thanks, Luke. I really appreciate it."

Luke nodded once before turning to grab his guitar, and Rayna swallowed the lump in her throat.

She was grateful for Luke, but she prayed that whever Deacon was, he was alive. She couldn't bear to lose him.

 **XXX**

"How many times has he done this, Rayna?" Luke asked as the redhead, who was speed-walking toward the hotel with a frantic look on her face.

Rayna just shook her head as she walked through the huge door of the hotel, immediately looking around for her boyfriend. "Deacon?" She called out but instantly thought twice about it. He was probably so wasted that he couldn't even think, let alone answer her.

Rayna made her way to the elevator down the hall to head up to her room. The safest place to look would be there, and she hoped to God that's where he was.

Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she rode the elevator up to the third floor, where her room was. When the bell chime and the door opened, Rayna took a deep breath and jogged down the hallway to her room.

She blew out a breath as she put the key in the lock, but was worried when she discovered it was still unlocked. She pulled out the key and pushed on the knob, pushing open the door and barging into the room.

She gasped when she saw the scene before her: Deacon was laying face down on the floor in front of the mini-bar, mini bottles of whiskey scattered around him.  
Rayna ran up next to him and crouched down, placing her hands on his shoulder to roll him over before she shook him violently.

"Deacon!" She yelled, tears falling down her face as she shook him to try to wake him up. "Deacon, come on, babe. Wake up. Please."

She slapped his face and shook him again, but nothing happened. Rayna stood up and leaned down to grab his arms, trying and failing to drag him to the door. He was wasted, a dead-weight, and Rayna had to do something with him.

Rayna looked down at Luke, who looked scared. "Please call an ambulance. Please. I can't move him. He's a dead-weight." Luke barely nodded as he pulled out his cell phone and stepped out to call 911.

The tiny redhead crouched down next to Deacon again, placing her hands on top of his chest. "Come on, babe; don't do this again. Please, you have to wake up." She leaned down to kiss him, but cringed at the strong smell of alcohol coming off of his body.

Luke walked back into the room, and Rayna looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "The ambulance will be here in fifteen minutes. Let's try to keep him alive until they get here."

Rayna swallowed hard and reached down to grip Deacon's hand, praying to whatever was up there that he'd stay alive.

 **XXX**

Deacon woke up with a dry mouth and confusion as to why he was staring up at a white ceiling. He grunted and looked around the room, and his heart dropped when he saw Rayna next to him, gripping his hand as she laid sleeping on her folded arms.

"Ray?" He choked out, and Rayna shot her head up to look at him.

"Hey, babe. You're awake."

Deacon nodded slightly. "Yeah, I am. I'm so sorry, baby. I know I scared you."

Rayna nodded slowly. "Yeah you did. You have been a lot lately." She swallowed hard as she choked back tears "I almost lost you last night, Deacon."

Deacon swallowed hard. "I know, I'm sorry, baby. It won't happen again, Ray, I promise."

"Like I haven't heard that before." Rayna sighed. "How many times are you going to almost die before you actually do? How many times will I have to keep dragging you out of hotel rooms and take you to flush the alcohol out of your body?"

"Ray, I-"

"Deacon, you need help. This can't keep happening." Rayna reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of papers. "The lady at the desk gave me information about a rehab center three hours from here: Riverside. You'll be there for three months."

"I know you don't want to, and I know you'll hate it, but as long as you want to be with me you're going."

Deacon nodded and swallowed hard, grabbing Rayna's hand with both of his. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."

Rayna nodded slowly. "I know, babe. I know you are."

 **XXX**

"Okay, I'll see you in three months." Rayna said to Deacon, grabbing his hand.

"I can't do this. I can't leave you for three months, I can't-"

Rayna nodded. "Yes, you can. You can, and I'll be here in three months to get you. You'll be better and we'll finally move into that house you love so much." She stood up on her tiptoes and leaned forward to kiss Deacon.

"I love you. I'll see you soon."

Deacon kissed her again. "I love you, baby. I love you so much." He reached down and grabbed his bag before turning on his heel and walking into the treatment center.

 _We'll be okay. We'll be fine._ Rayna thought as she sighed and watched him walk into the building where he'd be for the next three months.

 **XXX**


End file.
